A Forgotten Hero
by MercuryTears
Summary: Shadow meets Amy Rose several years after his supposed death on the ARK...and everything has changed, his whole world melted and twisted before his very eyes. Chapter three is finally up!
1. Meeting Amy Rose

**A. F.O.R.G.O.T.T.E.N. H.E.R.O.  
**_By MercuryTears_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shadow the hedgehog, Sonic the hedgehog, or any related characters. They are the property of SonicTeam(Sega).

Along the dismal grey coastline of a shadowy sea, the water tumbled down onto the sand, then, hissing, retreated back into the salty mass of waves and froth. The stars winked down on the beach scene, set high in the dark sky, high above the swirling, cold, foggy sea air.

Strolling through the shallows of the colorless water, tears streaming down her face, a bright hedgehog stared up at the mass of silver that dotted the dark night sky. _Why was she crying?_

I crept closer, still hidden behind the faded grey fence that marked the beginning of the beach. The soft sound of the sand beneath my feet silent against the roaring of the ocean waves, I edged closer to the weeping stranger. _She seemed so familiar…Had I met her before?_

As I passed a large, hunched tree, my foot fell on a discarded, dry twig. A short snap was produced, enough to stir the young lady from her crying.

"Who's there?"

Such a frightened voice. She was scared. I scared her. Disgust spread through my veins in seconds, and I felt obliged to apologize to the girl for disturbing her. I hurried to the entrance gate of the beach, revealing myself to her.

As she turned to face me, I saw her face for the first time. I felt the color drain from my face. She was beautiful, and even though I saw only blacks and whites, a rainbow seemed to glow off of her skin, her fur.

She seemed taken by surprise as well, for some reason, although it certainly wasn't at my appearance. I was cut and bruised for reasons I could not recall, certainly not a sight for sore eyes.

She blinked once, twice. Three times. She seemed short of words. Perhaps I was meant to begin?

"Very sorry for frightening you, I was merely concerned at your--" I began, although she didn't let me finish my apology.

"Shush," She whispered in a voice hoarse from crying. "I know you, don't I?"

"I don't believe so…" I replied. She was quite familiar, and something seemed to be prodding at the back of my brain, persuading me to recall her name, or anything about her.

Suddenly her eyes widened, lighting up, struck by realization. "I do know you…" She muttered in awe. "…Shadow the hedgehog…"


	2. A Stranger to Myself

**A. F.O.R.G.O.T.T.E.N. H.E.R.O.**

_By MercuryTears_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Shadow the hedgehog, Amy Rose, Sonic the Hedgehog, or any realted characters. They are the property of SonicTeam(Sega).

* * *

**C.H.A.P.T.E.R. O.N.E.**

"Shadow the Hedgehog…" I muttered in awe, not sure just what this young stranger was talking about. An echo of the words bounced around in my brain, persuading me to recall them.

"Don't you…?" She paused, blinked and her head tilted to the side as she looked me over. _What was she thinking?_ Staring into those bright, energetic eyes, fogged over with misery, I caught a shadow of uncertainty. "Aren't you…Aren't you Shadow?"

I didn't hear the question though…I was suddenly surrounded by hissing, faded words. And those eyes…

_Happy, caring eyes…_

"_Grandfather says your name is…Shadow"_

_Yet, so haunted…_

"_We're going to be the best of friends, Shadow!"_

…_So confused…_

"_Shadow!"_

"Maybe I just mistook you for someone else…Sorry…" The words dragged me back into reality, and the hedgehog was there, staring deep into my eyes…my eyes, once crimson, now grey…my sorrowful eyes…

"Amy Rose…" The words slipped involuntarily from my tongue and into the open. I could feel myself slipping away into my daydreams again… "Amy…"

Her face suddenly lit up and the misery slinked back into the depths of her eyes. A brilliant smile blazed on her face. "So you do remember!" She squealed, delighted.

"You're…you're Amy?"

"The one and only!" She replied, brushing a strand of bright quills from her eyes, grin widening.

I stared at her blankly. I knew her name, and apparently mine was Shadow. But who was she? _Who was I?_

She noted my expression and hers became one of concern. "You don't remember much, do you?"

I shrugged, eyes settled on the ground.

"You don't remember Sonic? Rouge?"

Another simple shrug.

She seemed startled by this. Suddenly she noted something; her eyes shrank as she squinted at me, trying to decide what was wrong. And then she noticed them. Her eyes returned to their original size as she started at my withered, grey eyes.

"Your eyes…they seem so…"

"Dead." I grunted before she could finish. They were dying. Soon I would be blind, never able to see anything again. For now I had my grey vision, but it was only a matter of time until the last spark flickered out and all was lost…

"No, they just seem so peaceful…" She shook her head slowly, eyes still fixed on mine.

"Think what you wish," I replied solemnly. "But they are indeed dying. I'm losing the only thing I have left…"

She sighed, seemingly quite frustrated at my depression. "Oh come off it now, Shadow. Even if you do go blind, you still have what matters." She glanced down at my chest, my _heart._ "And that's something you'll never lose…"

I felt both ashamed that I'd been so dramatic, and hurt that she'd dared tell me how to feel like that. It didn't seem to fit her, in a way…She was too beautiful, too caring, to soft and fragile, to be acting so harsh…

"I'm sorry, I've just had a bad day and--"

Gently, I raised a finger to her face, pressing it gently to her lips. "No apologies, my dear Amy…I'm not worth it."

And with that I turned around, turned my back on this mysterious girl who had once known me so well, a girl who never expected to see me again, and walked away down the soft, sandy beach, confusion fogging the edges of my mind.

And as I walked a gentle sea breeze blew against my back. A gentle hand guiding me away from this poor, lonesome girl as she stared at my back as I left, leaving her behind…


	3. So Sorry

**A. F.O.R.G.O.T.T.E.N. H.E.R.O.  
**_By MercuryTears_

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry to everyone that I dropped this story like that. Everyone was so kind and supportive, and so many people reviewed, and I just disappeared. So very sorry about that! But I read my reviews over, and decided I couldn't leave people with half a story, so let's get this thing started up again, shall we?

And thanks again for reading and reviewing

**C.H.A.P.T.E.R. T.W.O.**

"Shadow…"

Her voice was soft and fading. She sounded so mourning. But why? I was no loss to her. I barely remembered her, so obviously she was just an acquaintance? I pushed my questions and my guilt aside and continued walking away.

"Shadow!"

This time I froze. She was calling out to me, now. It was rude to ignore her, was it not? I turned around to see her jogging up to me, her face — although blurred by my faltering eyes — displaying so many emotions at once. Fear, sadness, remorse, pain…

"Yes?" I answered. She caught up to me, and I saw now an emotion I'd overlooked just seconds before. Anger. I took a step backward, away from her, holding my arms out to take hold of her should she need to be restrained.

"How can you just — I mean, how dare you…" Words slipped out of her grasp as she scrambled to lay them out, and I lowered my hands. "How can you do this to me?" She finally choked out, and I thought I spotted a tear gleaming in her eye. Before I knew what had happened, her arms were around me, her face buried in my chest, sniffing and sobbing.

"I don't — " I began, but I felt no need for finishing my sentence. I held her awkwardly, stroking her back gently, hushing her the best I could.

At long last, she looked up at me with glittered eyes, and the anger and hurt in them seemed to have vanished. "I'm so sorry, Shadow…"

"There's nothing to apologize for, Amy," I reassured her, running a hand through her hair, lost in those soft, innocent eyes.

"But there is, Shadow," She insisted, pushing herself away from me so that I could only hold her wrists and she stared up at me. "I gave up on you. I took you for dead. And…here you are." She laughed a delirious sort of laugh, weak and fragile.

I couldn't understand what she meant about taking me for dead, but this was not the time for questions. "Here I am," I chuckled to myself, pulling her into my embrace once again.

"Shadow…" She whispered in my ear, her tone of voice so longing, so regretful.

"Come now, I'll take you for a walk. We could both use a clear head."


End file.
